Birthday Weekend

Russ turned 26 on Saturday. 

We got up at the crack of dawn to hike Timp with my dad, Katie, and Daniel.

It's such a beautiful hike. It was my fifth time reaching the summit.

We drove home and showered and napped and then partied the night away.

Russ got a ton of treats and fun things. He was so happy.

I love this boy so much. I am so grateful he's mine. Who else would learn the song "Aubrey" on the guitar and sing it to me on our anniversary? Who else would play soccer with Emma in the backyard for 2 hours after hiking 18 miles? Who else would miss the BYU vs. Utah game to clean our church building and sing songs with me while he cleans the urinals and I wipe the sinks?
He is the absolute best.

School Picture

Don't you wish you had a job where they made you sit in front of a nice blue background and took your picture and THEN gave you an entire package of lots of different sizes of pictures FOR FREE - small ones to trade with your friends, medium ones to give to your grandparents, and a giant 8x10 that you have no idea what to do with?

I really do give the medium ones to Grandma and Nana.
And I really don't know what to do with the 8x10 except scare Russell by putting it on the fridge.

Blue backgrounds are lame and boring.
I'd much rather have a little creativity in pictures, and let your interests and personality shine:

What We're Watching

One Day

I never ever pay full price for movies, unless it's Harry Potter. After I finished reading the life-changing book by David Nicholls, however, I couldn't not go see this movie right away. Jim Sturgess and Anne Hathaway? Romantic Scottish accents? Yes please. Russ went on a long run and I went to Cinemark and forked over $8.75 to watch this by myself. Even though the book is better (isn't it always?), I thoroughly enjoyed myself. It's a tender, simple, beautiful story of two people and their relationship over the course of twenty years. I laughed and cried a lot.

Sophie Scholl: The Final Days

I read that this movie about Sophie Scholl, Germany's most famous anti-Nazi heroine, was amazing and won lots of awards. Russ and I love foreign films, so this came to us in our Netflix queue. I can't believe this is a true story. Sophie had incredible strength and courage to stand up for what her conscience told her was right. It's such an inspiring story, and it made me think about my values and what I would be willing to die for.

Mad Men

Several of our friends recommended this show to us, so we rented Season 1, Episodes 1-3 from Blockbuster for 99 cents. I'm glad we didn't pay any more for it. Mad Men, do you seriously expect me to believe that there wasn't a single conversation or relationship in the 1960s that wasn't riddled with misogyny and/or sexual innuendo? Why are your characters such rotten people? Not even one of them is likable. Don Draper showed promise at the beginning, and held out for an episode and a half, but quickly proved himself to be just as much of a scumbag as his disgusting co-workers. The most irritating part is that Russ and I are weirdly intrigued and we want to know what's in store for these dummies. Pathetic and embarrassing? Yes.

King Kong

I absolutely love this movie. I saw it ten times in the theaters (Yes, ten. That's thirty hours of my life). Every time I got asked out on a date and we went to the movies, I'd casually say, "Oh, I haven't seen the new King Kong yet" and that's what we'd see. I love Jack Black and Naomi Watts, I get totally freaked out by those indigenous people, I cry for King Kong when he's confused and upset in the city, and I think the fight scene with King Kong and the T-Rex is some of the best CGI I've ever seen. Russ loves it too, which is perfect, so we Netflixed it, and I enjoyed it for the fourteenth time just as much I did the first.

Bachelor Pad 2

This is definitely the most embarrassing show I watch. I don't have a TV, so I have to go to a friend's house or wait until Tuesday to watch it on Hulu. This show has been so entertaining and full of drama. Michelle Money! Russ and I both have a crush on her. Vienna and Jake in the same house! Kasey being a backstabbing jerk! Weirdo Ericka trying to seduce everyone! The Michael-Holly-Blake love triangle! Melissa acting so insecure and immature that I have chills of embarrassment! I can't wait for the finale.

Midway to Heaven

Nerdiness and cheesy lines know no bounds in this Mormon romantic comedy, which we only saw because we love Michelle Money. It's about some widower dad who is doing everything he can to prevent his only daughter from marrying Kirby Heyborne (wouldn't you do the same?).

Super 8

This movie was such a delight. We were so glad when something worthwhile finally came to the dollar theater (Seriously, Rio? Even if you stay there for six months, I won't see you). The bit with the alien was a bit contrived and sappy, but I really believed in the chemistry between Elle Fanning and Joel Courtney. They are the cutest couple since Kate and Leonardo. I also laughed my head off at all the banter between Joe and his pre-pubescent friends. Freaking hilarious.

Third Anniversary Trip

Two weeks after our third anniversary (August 21st), Russ and I drove to California for Labor Day Weekend to celebrate. While we're young and childless and carefree, it's so fun to be spontaneous. I'd never seen downtown Los Angeles before, and although there was a lot of driving in a short amount of time, I loved the trip.

California is incredible. No wonder 35 million people live there.

Disclosures

"Parents, please feel free to comment, ask questions, or provide additional information you would like to share about your child."

This is the last part of my disclosure document. Not very many parents wrote anything, but quite a few students took matters into their own hands (like I can't tell their handwriting, the sweet little things). They said things like this:

"My child is amazing. He likes Powerade. He was born on Thanksgiving. You will LOVE him!!!"

"This year, she is going to be good. Seriously, I'm going to try!"

"______ is an amazing awesome girl and she loves French, but she forgets her homework sometimes. Don't get mad at her."

"My kid is AWESOME."

"He gets distracted easy and does weird things."

"______ is extremely attractive and may be distracting to his classmates because of his hair."

Conclusion: I love my job.

The Second Time Around

As I type this, I am lying on my bed. Russ is asleep with his head propped up on my legs. It's 6:00 on a Saturday night, and we should probably be doing something productive, but I think we deserve a break. Plus, he is adorable when he's sleeping.

All week, I have been getting ready for the new school year, which starts on Monday. I cleaned out my desk, revamped my units and lessons from last year, made new rule posters, wrote disclosure documents, and ordered prints of more Paris posters to put up. Russ and my sister Katie have put in so much time, slaving away in my hot sweaty classroom. I could not have done this without them. Two nights in a row, we stayed at the school until 10 pm.  I also spent two hours at Utah Idaho Supply Map World, which is far too long to spend at a store with such a stupid name.

All our efforts were worth it. Everything is perfect (except that I ran out of rainbow border and so did that idiot store - in all of its Utah locations. How can that be?). My classroom looks amazing, so much better than it did last year, and I feel absolutely great about going back to school on Monday. My walls are bright and fun, my desk is organized, and I have some cool ideas for my students. I am so much more prepared than I was this time last year. I know what to expect. I know what to do differently. That's the best thing about teaching - every year I get to start fresh with a completely clean slate.

The best part about this poster (which I can't look at without busting up) is that it was free. So perfect.

My most memorable and happiest experiences of summer 2011:

*Grandpa Frayne's beautiful funeral service and my extended family being all together

*Bear Lake with Gabe and Ellen, Jackson and Celeste

*Island Park with the Allenbachs

*Santa Fe with the Lees
*Doing a dive for the first time in my life

*Actually getting a pretty decent tan

*Getting Russ to watch "Never Say Never" all the way through

*Lots of meals at Costa Vida
*Reconnecting with lots of old friends

*All the free time I had to read and re-watch six seasons of "The Office"

*Sleeping in until 11:00 or even noon...It will be a rude awakening when I'm up at 6:00 on Monday morning.

The City Different

That's what they call Santa Fe.

It is a cool town, spilling over with unique architecture, turquoise jewelry, Southwestern art, and unrelenting heat.

The highlight for me was seeing MJ perform in "The Last Savage" at the Santa Fe Opera. The theater was amazing and the whole cast was phenomenal.

We had fun being together as a family. Sam was missed.